chance to vote on the bill and sheila bair, former chair of the fdic. >> i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. >> and i'm ali velshi. the fiscal cliff edition of "starting point" begins right now. >> our "starting point" this morning is breaking news. the senate strikes a deal on the fiscal cliff, but not before we've officially fallen off the cliff. we are off it right now. here is where things stand right now. a bill crafted by vice president joe biden and minority leader mitch mcconnell passed in the senate by a margin of 89-8. happened just after 2:00 in the morning. the republican controlled house has agreed to consider this later this morning. but anyone's guess how this will turn out. if the house votes yes, the measure would generate 600

billion in revenues over the next ten years. how things are sized up overnight. >> i've said all along, our most important priority is protecting middle class families. this legislation does this. >> this shouldn't be the model of how we do things around here. but i think we can sigh we've done some good for the country. >> if it passes the house, here is what the plan means for you and your family. bush era tax cuts would stay in place for individuals earning less than $400,000 a year and couples earning less than $450,000. unemployment benefits for 2 million americans would be extended for a year, and the alternative minimum tax would permanently be adjusted for inflation. but when it comes to spending cuts, lawmakers defer for two more months. that's a nice way of saying kicking the can down the road. expect more finger pointing and fighting in 2013. white house correspondent brian

brianna keilar up all night. joining us to talk about what's going phone in washington, in the white house. this is a wild card. we know they will take it up, but we don't know what it means. >> it does get tricky. some house republicans have been the ones that said throughout the whole process, we don't want to move forward on certain things. granted, now we've gone over the cliff. tax hikes, technically are in effect. so any vote in the house will be a vote for tax cuts, not for tax hikes. that helps. john boehner needs to take this deal struck in the senate that presumably has some buy in from him if not from his rank and file, because mitch mcconnell did not negotiate this is a vacuum and this is a pretty overwe will being vote. he will take this to his conference today and see where they are at. the expectation is there are two directions this could go. either a vote on the bill or house republicans propose

changes so they can amend the bill more to their liking and send it back to the senate. but i think this is expected to move along here. >> there could be amendments, one past, they could vote on amendments, could fail, and then vote on the full measure. isn't that true also? >> yeah, that is true, and the other thing is once anything goes to the floor, it's not just up to republicans, it will -- and the think the expectation all along, whatever ultimately passes the house as we saw in the senate will require democrats and republicans. >> talking to phil gingery, seemed to be leaning no on this. but this time, secretary bamr. doesn't need all of the votes. >> and even though it seems like senator gingery is probably leaning no, many republicans are leaning no, but not necessarily

saying this is -- this is a deal that should not go through. in a way, they may vote no, but they also sort of acquiesce to s see the need going forward. >> brianna keilar in washington, thank you very much. all right. let's break down some of what's in the deal. we've been telling you about the so-called dairy cliff. in addition to dealing with the fiscal crisis, the senate deal would extend federal farm policies through september. that means milk prices, milk prices will not double. the deal also knicks a set pay raise for congress. the white house looks to raise tax rates from 35% to 40 pest, but republicans successfully insist that the exemption should be adjusted annually for inflation and increase the exemption for 7.5 million for

families and families. the rates on dividendeds and capital gains ride to 20%. for taxpayers earning less than 450,000, it would restore exemptions and personalized deductions. those benefits phasing out for couples earning more than $250,000 a year. single people, more than $200,000. it calls for a permanent fix for the alternative minimum tax, otherwise, we saw many pay their 2012 returns. it would extend tax credits for college tuition and the working poor. >> the amt were important, it was really going to kick that number up. >> that was another yearly crisis. rich people make sure they made more taxes. >> didn't work out.

to capitol hill, jonathan allen is the congressional correspondent for politico. did you sleep there last night? i didn't sleep in the capitol, no. i make a rule not to do that. once you start, it's a slippery slope. >> there may be some people, like phil gingery from georgia, who will vote no is that the same as a conservative movement, or for that matter, a liberal movement on the democratic side to defeat the bill that they will face in the house today? >> i think brianna said is right, the term acquiesce, and on the right and the left, i think they will accidequiesce. some voices will come out and say it's a bad idea. tom harkin, democratic senator from iowa, one of them.

he torched this whole plan. it's interesting. when it comes down to the last minutes here, how much less energy and vigor some of the no voters have, they -- they would like to at least be able to go home for a day before the new congress starts on january 3rd. >> they want to tell constituents, i wasn't all that into this but that had nothing to do with me. here is the problem, as we get further and further. this could have amendments and setbacks, does that give energy to interest groups who started last night? politicking and lobbying both senators and congressmen to say this is a bad deal that gives too much to the other side. >> sure this gives an opportunity for opponents to make arguments this is a bad deal. this legislation not available to anybody publicly when the senate voted it on last night.

there were early returns from heritage action group telling folks to vote no on it if they could, but basically this is the opportunity the no crowd will have over the next 12 hours, 24 hours to make their arguments. this is the way congress does business in the dark of night without any transparency to what they are doing, and i think ultimately, that's one of the reasons the american public has such little faith. >> you can't blame them, jonathan, they only had 517 days to work this out at some point it will take to you the middle of the night. good to see you as always. continue that habit of not sleeping in congress. jonathan allen joining us at the capitol. >> i say that about cnn. >> i've done it. in that room once and it is hard. >> he didn't lose it for 2013, the gripping sar chism. football, not the only game

in town. stay with cnn all day for all of the developments, house back in session at noon this is not over yet. could be a lot more. >> very compelling. totally not watching football today. >> don't watch football, watch us. in other news, hillary clinton's doctors revealing details about the blood clot that handlaned her in the hospital. doctors say mrs. clinton did not have a stroke or suffer any neurological damage, they also say they are confident that the second of state will make a full recovery. cnn's jill dougherty is live at the state department this morning. what is the latest on the secretary's condition? >> the latest is as the secretary is in that new york hospital, she's being treated with blood thinners, that's the main thing. they have to get blood thinners as they say treated properly so they give her enough, not too much, and be able to be released. it won't happen until they do that. it's really a turnabout.

i was sitting here in a quiet state department this morning. it's a holiday, very few people around, and thinking how things have really changed this is a secretary who has traveled a million miles. she's traveled to more than 100 countries and here in the waning days, we have a few weeks before the end of this administration, this part of the administration, and, you know, she's in the hospital. quite striking. good they are saying that she is talking with her doctors, talking with her family. and they expect her to milwaukee a full recovery. but in a broader sense, it's really quite amazing what has happened at the end of a very vigorous, vigorous position of hillary clinton as secretary of state. >> such an interesting juxtaposition, after such an eventful for years in the position, the end is fairly quiet. we're all -- thoughts with mrs. clinton as she recovers and doctors expect her to make a full and complete recovery.

thank you. amid secretary clinton's illness and the fiscal cliff, americans rang in the new year in spectacular style. 1 million in times square welcomed in 2013. and in lean, the georgia peach was lowered as the new year arrived there. in las vegas, where everything is big and over the top, it was an amazing fireworks display over the vegas strip. just in case anyone missed the point that it was 2013, the fireworks telling them that it had officially begun. very cool. >> they think big there. >> they know how to throw a party time to time. > two planes damaged in forth lauderdale, florida. there was a gash in the tail section of the united plane, no fuel leak from either aircraft, and luckily no injuries rorpted.

refer. >> off the coast of alaska, coast guard and tugboat crews are trying to pull an oil rig into safe waters. lines were reattached, but 60-mile-an-hour wind and 28-foot high waves in the forecast for today. officials fear a fuel spill if that rig is grounded. and those were wedding bells ringing in the stroke of midnight in maryland. that's when same-sex marriage became legal there. voters approved the new law in november. seven couples got hitched at 12:01 a.m. with mayor stephanie rawlins blake presiding. ahead on "starting point," how the house handles the deal won't just affect us, it could take an effect on the global economy. richard quest, breaks it down next. >> and elijah cummings joins us

live. does he see the fiscal cliff afwremt getting through the house? and we leave you with london's new year's celebration. there it is. you're watching starting point. happy new year. [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery.

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we have not entirely averted the fiscal cliff, but the senate has passed a deal to do its part

to help going over the cliff. now it's up to the house of representatives which has a bit of a reputation for being intransige intransigent. they could take action today, we hope they take action today. world markets, although closed for new year's day will be watching. and investors will be watching anxiously. they will react when they open, and that will start about 8:00 p.m. eastern tonight, the fist of asia's markets open up. cnn's richard quest joins us from london. good morning, richard. your perspective on everything that's happened in the last 1 hours? >> well, i have it here, all six pages and that's just the title section of the american taxpayer relief act of 2012. the so-called fiscal cliff. do you know there is nearly 100 sections, just dealing with the extensions and the relief and

provisions. goes to many, many pages, but the crucial point is as far as the world markets are concerned, this is just borrowed time. the bulk of the 600 billion in tax rises has been put to one side. you were talking a few moments ago, you have still got, it has to get through the house, senate, and signed and the two months on the spending cuts, and the debt ceiling, you've got the appropriati appropriations and reconciliation. the markets will finally say -- >> my remarkable expertise are you have seen this game play out. you watched this movie before, seen it before. and you have a deadline for a big deal and what you end up is a puny deal. >> you end up with -- i wouldn't use the phrase puny deal. i would use fudge. what have you here is a fiscal

fudge. they have done the barest necessary to get over -- let's stick with the cliff analogy. you walk toward the cliff, and all they have really done severe off to the side. the cliff is still there, now they just aren't as close to the pre precipice. we saw it with greece, we saw it with the fiscal come basket. they love this word fiscal every time they want to do a deal. we've seen it again and again, and the warning from the market. won't come this week i won't believe. looking at mid to late january, early february. debt ceiling. the debt ceiling is the one to keep your eye on. >> senator rand paul, the son of ron paul, on tv last night making some comment about debt we carry in the united states. absolute debt per person being greater than absolute debt per person than greece and that's why the united states was going to become greece.

i was so incensed that i lost the little hair i had left on my head. the united states will never not be able to pay its bills and meet obligations, because the united states has a remarkable printing press for money. >> absolutely. a remarkable printing press for money. a multitrillion dollar economy, a vibrancy and flexibility of the workforce. a single language. all sorts of structural and systemic reasons why it will grow. and i mean, hallelujah, the u.s. growing 2% to 3% is the savior for the rest of the world. >> unbelievable. >> it is extraordinary, but growing despite the -- the american taxpayer relief act of 2013. which i promise you, is so detailed and so many -- i suppose the best way is to say time bombs and landmines in it, in the budget pages. >> i am glad you have at least read the preamble to the bill. i hope they have.

they have until noon eastern. richard quest talking to us from london, i'll talk to you many times through the course of the day. >> they always make it sown like they are doing us a favor. america, we'll help and give you this relief. >> it doesn't sound like richard quest is a yes vote on this deal? not much of an endorsement. he doesn't actually get a vote. we'll talk to someone who does. congressman elijah cummings from maryland. ranking democrat on the house oversight committee. we thought we would have a nice discussion about where things are headed. right off the bat, are you a yes vote on this deal? >> i'm leaning yes. you look at the fact that the senate voted 89-8, only three democratic senators voting against the bill, i mean, automatically you start with the presumption that you need to look from a positive standpoint.

one of the things i emphasized over and over again. politics about the business of compromise. i don't necessarily like everything in this piece of legislation, but certainly our caucus will be meeting, and we'll be going through it and determining exactly when it says, but from what i've seen preliminarily. >> a lot of seen from congressmen who don't like it. congressman tom harkin from iowa said no deal is better than a bad deal. he voted against it. "the new york times" says it weakens president obama's hand going forward and may hurt him in the debt ceiling negotiations. he has ruled out any negotiations over the debt ceiling and on monday he vowed that revenue increases must match further spending cuts. but as this deal shows, he often

compromises at the last minute. that's the important part. let's leave it there. has president obama showed when his back support against the wall, he will cave? >> the president has been very strong in these negotiations. you have to keep in mind the republicans really did not want to tax more wealthy people in our society one dime. not a dime, and he's stuck with that. i consider myself a liberal and proud of it. we did not want an increase in t the age with regard to medicaid and cpi with regard to social security benefits. and the president was strong there, and i think he'll continue to be strong, and, you know, i notice a different president since he won this election, i think he is working very closely with congress, and,

again, i -- often i'm -- i'm critical for congress for not coming to the table and compromising. critical for trends for saying my way or the highway. but at some point, we've got to take care of a lot of people like folks in my district, who through this deal will at least be able to get unemployment benefits, and a number of others that mean something to middle class families. >> are we setting up ourselves for fight after fight on budget issues in this country? i don't feel like we've fixed the problems with the process. i'm real worried about two years, three years, ten years of fiscal cliffs because we have huge debts, huge deficits. >> christine, you asked the perfect question.

that's my worry. and we've got the debt ceiling debate coming up in about two months, and that was something at one time, and subpoenaing a lot of time is you did get it. at some time we have to change our politics in washington. one of the good things about getting this done, although we may not like it, at least it says to the american people they put their heads together and able to resolve something. -hoping we won't allow politics to take over policy and it seems that's what happened. >> good luck with that sir. we know you will face this three more times in the next three months. thank you for coming on this morning, we should say happy new year to you, cohenman. >> happy new year to you. just ahead, 2012 the worst year for gas prices, averaging $3.60 nationwide for unleaded.

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minding your business. happy new year. another reason to say good riddance to 2012. the worst year ever for gas

prices. in 2012, you paid an average of $3.60 per gallon for regular unleaded. the most expensive average ever. aaa expects prices to stay below 2012 levels this year. ahead on "starting point," he says he won't support any compromise on the fiscal cliff. what about the deal reached overnight? we have tim huelskamp next. and highlights from kathy griffin and anderson cooper's new year's eve special, next. i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch.

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all right. welcome back, everyone. happy new year and this breaking news. the economy and your take home pay are in the hands of the house of representatives right now. happy new year, everyone. earlier this morning, the senate passed a plan to fend off the fiscal cliff. the deal was crafted by vice president joe biden and the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. the senate vote was overwhelming, 89-8. that say big vote these days. and the senarepublican controll house left well before midnight, they have to take up the matter today. >> our most important priority is protecting middle class families.

this legislation does that. >> this shouldn't be the model for how we do things around here, but i think we've done some good for the country. >> this is what the deal means for you and your family. bush era tax cuts extended for individuals earning less than $400,000 a year, and couples earning less than $450,000. unemployment benefits extended for a year for 2 million americans and a permanent adjustment for inflation, for the alternative minimum tax. a pretty big deal. wondering about spending cuts, keep wondering, lawmakers deferred. they will fight over those cuts over the next two months, probably again and again and again. despite the progress overnight in the senate, it appears the drawn-out fiscal cliff fiasco has the american people permanently fed up. >> u.s. a shame that we've elected these officials and they can't do their job, and they blame each other or the other sides when it's the american people that are suffering. >> think we have a broken

system. i think that's what the problem is now, everyone trying to please different groups rather than try to do what's best for the country. >> u.s. not a republican thing or democratic thing at some point. it becomes the question of are the people we've elected to do a job doing the job we elected them to do. frankly, i don't think so. >> pretty popular sentiment right now. brianna keilar joins us live from washington. the house is a wild card here. they say they will take this up, open up at 12:00. how is this likely to play out? >> one of two ways, john this could play out. either house speaker john boehner takes this senate bill before his conference and after talking to them feels he has enough support to put it on the floor and vote for it in its entirety, or perhaps some house republicans say there are things in here we don't like. we want to change some of the things, make them more to our

liking. let's amend them or try to am them, and we'll second send whatever it is over to the senate. presumably because, one, this vote was huge in the senate. 89-8, not the kind of vote you see very often and mitch mcconnell, he has a sense certainly of where speaker boehner is. he isn't going to broker a deal that he didn't think would be able to get through the house of representatives. the obvious thing here, this will require democratic and republican votes, that's the expectation, and we don't know wherefore house speaker john boehner that threshold is. he wants as much support from republicans as possible and we'll see today how much he has i think. >> we've been talking to democrats and approximate republicans, members of congress. democrats tell us they are pretty much going to vote for this republicans seem to be leaning no. but the speaker doesn't need every republican. really needs about 30. >> no, he doesn't. but i think he wants more than

just 30. the other thing that makes this deal more palatable is that now the tax hikes have kicked in. they have gone in automatically and voting for tax cuts. that really does help. actually going over the fiscal cliff will help some republicans vote for a measure when maybe before they would have voted against it. some republicans up even though they are not on board, won't vote for this unless they have to. but i think john boehner wants more than 30 republicans to be on board with him. >> no doubt the case. brianna keilar in washington. looking for signs all morning about how this will go down. any smoke rising from the speaker's office, we know are you watching. >> let's dive into the senate deal. what it does on the business side. popular tax breaks extended, including a credit for research, which benefits high-tech companies and appear an investment rightoff that helps manufacturers. the long-term unemployed

receives emergency benefits for another year. doctors spared a 27% cut in medicare reimbursements set to take effect in january. the $30 billion cost would be cut by cutting other health care programs. >> and tim huelkamp, you and i got into a little dustup last night. brand new year, 2013. let's start over again. happy new year to you, sir. >> happy new year to you as well. it's a pleasure to be here as well. >> i don't want to deprive our viewers of the remarkable fun and heat. let's play that back. >> it will put people out of work with the 2% that are going to pay higher taxes, we believe that will impact maybe a million small businesses and raise their taxes. >> you are saying more than a million businesses will be affected if the threshold is $450,000? you want to stick with that information or check that information?

>> that's our best guess. >> i think that's a guess, congressman. >> can i answer the question? >> go ahead. >> we have numbers, montana state university is i believe the source. you impacted 311,000 small businesses will be impacted by the tax increase. at the $250,000 level, it's over 2 million small businesses. >> all right. your staff kindly sent me a whole lot of information to me last night. read through the montana state university report, and we have our own research. i think we have a general disagreement about the numbers. according to your own republican sources, that $250,000, the lower level, 940,000 businesses would have been affected in total. maybe 750,000 at $450,000. i think the montana university numbers are off. but let's agree to a number.

we'll disagree about our sources. they are not all job-creating businesses. a lot of "s" corporations that run income through their personal accounts are one offs, celebrities, guys like me who write books and have a company and employ absolutely nobody. these are not where most jobs in america actually come from. so the connection -- the issue i was having with our discussion, the connection between raising taxes and costing jobs. >> and what is your point? we disagree on the numbers, but -- >> all sorts of studies suggest -- it's just not going to cost that many jobs. your implication it was going to cost 1 million jobs. >> i talk to business owners in my district, and i haven't found one that says raise my taxes, congressman and we'll hire more people. >> i think businesses hire people when they have demand for business. >> not when their cost goes up.

when they have to send more money to washington. we have increases in business taxes and millions of american households, lower and middle income that will pay higher taxes this year than last year, but this deal includes higher taxes, definitely does, this deal will increase spending and it does nothing for fundamental overspending problem and lack of entitlement reform, and three strikes, looks like what is in the bill for my view. i don't know if it will pass the house. we'll find out later today. >> irrespective of tax rates, if you are a bakery and selling more broaead, you will hire mor staff. >> you might. obama care, a bulk of those taxes kicked in. i don't want to hire number 51, employee number 51 because of obama care kicking in. in a normal world that would happen, but with obama care, i would say we'll see what happens. >> employer 51 is actually an

issue, you and i agree on. let me ask you about the bill. what -- from what you have seen of it so far, yes vote or no vote? >> i'm a no vote, but until we see the details, we're reading reports, i will say most folks might resume a member of congress has those details. we're reading media reports, nothing on websites out there. it locks like a no. looks like typical insider deal for washington, d.c., where they getly 89 votes in the senate, but at the end of the day, our debt will get bigger, spending will go up. taxes will increase, and americans will continue to be very upset at washington. >> some sense -- i've been asking colleagues this morning. you have sense if you get past the tax stuff, the politicized part of the discussion, you can correct some attention to spending and entitlement cuts? >> i'm not very hopeful or optimistic on that at all. but with the coming of the real debt ceiling, perhaps in late

february, early march, we'll have a real debate about it, but if you look back 17 months ago, washington came to a deal, and as a result, they said they would cut spending. the spending they promised to cut 17 months ago is the spending cuts that are undoing with this deal. so i'm pessimistic about the chances of actually getting fundamental entitlement reform and cutting the budge nets washington, d.c. >> you're not making a full commitment, so you don't know if you will vote for it. probably leaning against it. what do you think will happen? you think it will pass the house? >> i don't know. there used to be something called the hastert rule where nothing comes to the floor unless it has a majority of the republican conference. i'm presuming we'll have a long debate behind closed doors with republic republicans, everything i know about it, three strikes in my book and i'll vote no on this bill. >> congressman, thank you. we appreciate it best for the new year. >> you too, thank you so much. other news going on this

morning. top stories happening right now. civil rights activists known as the wilmington ten have been pard pardoned. nine african-american men and one woman were convicted of firebombing a grocery store in 1972. convicts were over turned in 1980. but now the governor saying that their convictions were tainted by naked racism. ben affleck's story about how there was a reduce by the cia and canadian government to get hostages released. now a canadian who played a critical role in the real-life drama has died. call it blackmon in the nfl. lovie smith, one of the seven coach who's got fired after the regular season. 10-6 record. led the bears to the super bowl in 2006. other coaches getting the ax.

romio crennel, chan gaily, ken whisenhunt. and andy reid. pat shurmur and norv turner. five general managers also got the ax. a tough day in the national football league. something to watch during today's 104th tournament of roses parade. for the first time ever, the defense department has a float, a replica of the korean war veterans memorial in washington, d.c. >> is there something significant about the first day of the year? >> the season ended the day before. finished all their games. as soon as games are over, they fire everyone, clear house. the reason you fire so many coaches, in nfl, so much parreded onny. they have the same levels of talent and people think coaches make a big, big difference and now a lot of them looking for work. >> i'll say. it wouldn't be new year's

around here without anderson cooper and kathy griffin. they rang in 2013. >> rihanna will be here. >> someone on twitter said that there is a drinking game every time i giggle nervously. >> calvin harris and the three shots mafia. >> who is calvin harris. >> okay, grand ma'am. >> name mitt romney's sons. >> ben, matt. >> yes. >> craig. >> oh! yes. thank you. >> oh! >> i thought it was going to be a little longer than it was. last time i saw that there was more going on. >> just like your new year's eve party, wasn't it? >> last time i saw it, with kathy griffin -- >> sectioning david gergen. >> i guess that was the other hour's version.

now we know secretary of state hillary clinton's blood clot found in her head, we'll look how serious this is with our president practicing our resident practicing neurosurgeon, dr. sanjay gupta. >> i'll try to get us back on track with honey boo-boo. big newmakers in 2012. who shall we watch in 2013? that's ahead. we'll leave you with dubai as dubai rang in the new year. that's right. wow. that's pretty impressive. >> cool. >> you're watching "starting point." at a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello?

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welcome back to "early start" -- or "starting point." hilary clinton spent new year's eve in a new york city hospital. treated for a blood clot in her head. we asked dr. sanjay gupta about her condition. >> we have some of the details about what precisely happened to secretary of state clinton and the specific blood clot. the blood clot we're talking about now, unclear where it was located previously. but we know it's in one of the

blood vessels around the brain. not, again, on the brain. pushing on the brain in any way, but it's a blood vessel that actually drains blood away from the brain. a cerebral vain. i want to show you here. we know in secretary of state clinton's case it's on the right side of her head, the right transverse sign us. i'll show you the left side for sake of demonstration here. if i remove the hemisphere of the brain here, you can actually see where the veins are, the blue area right there, that is the area that is draining blood away from the brain and one of the vains in this area, that's where the clot actually has occurred. most likely due to a combination of the head trauma that she had a few weeks ago in addition to the fact that she has had a problem with blood clots in the past, dating back to 199 8. her doctors say she is awake,

talking. no evidence of stroke or neurological damage. my guess is they will continue to monitor her for a couple of days in the hospital and probably get another scan at some point to make sure the clot has dissolved as a result of blood thinner medications. as we get more details, we'll bring them back to you. >> thank you, sanjay. hilary clinton's doctors do expect her to make a full and complete recovery. ahead on "starting point," hillary clinton expected to step down off secretary of state. don't take your eyes off of her. why she's one to watch in 2013. along with jeb bush and michelle obama we'll explain why, next. you're watching "starting point." we can see you carl. we can totally see you. come on you're better than this...all that prowling around. yeah, you're the king of the jungle. have you thought about going vegan carl? hahaha!! you know folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than antelope with night-vision goggles. nice!

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so what got us talking in 2012 and what is on the radar for 2013? we're there already, my goodness. cnn contributor and republican strategist anna navarro joins us from miami and hillary rosen is here in new york to talk about the newsmakers of 2012 plus their big predictions on 2013. let me ask you off the bat about 2012. we'll dispense with that fast. biggest person in 2012. >> for me, i'm a political

consultant so for me the political story of the year is the silent one, the campaign geeks have taken over politics, election analytics are really so important to why barack obama won, you know that hidden group of guys they hired and women that spent a year behind their laptops at campaign headquarters in chicago made the difference showing where to pull out the vote, huge different for the president. >> anna? >> i agree with hillary and told my republican counterparts we need more geeks. we need less nerds and more geeks. less pocket protectors and more piercings and facial hair. i think for me one of the biggest newsmakers was mulalah yousef who was shot by the taliban and recovering. she shows perseverance, gives me hope as a woman.

she's an example of young girls all over the world and the most inspirational story and this entire year is this young girl not to frayed to talk, to raise her voice on behalf of freedom for other women and stand up for her rights and fight for her life. >> where do you stand on honey boo boo? >> i love honey boo boo. i am confess i am in the anderson cooper fan of honey boo boo clan. it makes fun of reality shows. it makes fun of the people, but you know what? they're laughing all the way to the bank and i just think she's terrific, you know, she's done it all. she's done a great thing for rednecks, she's become the redneck child star pageant queen. i love honey boo boo, child. >> i can't go there with honey boo boo, sorry, anna. >> in 2013 a honey boo booless

year but what does 2013 hold do you think? >> there's a couple big things on the radar that i see. first of all when we look at the transition for the last year over what happened for same-sex marriage, an issue important to so many people including me obviously the fact that we won important referendums and that the president of the united states came out in favor of same-sex marriage, the supreme court is going to rule next year on this issue. this is going to be life-changing for so many people. that's huge. the other person to watch i think is michelle obama coming out of the campaign, you know, it's well-known she doesn't particularly like to, you know, the political rough and tumble of a campaign. now she doesn't have to worry about re-election. this is her year to shine. >> she's free. >> she's freed up a little and i'm excited to do what she'll do with the newfound freedom. >> we always talk about second terms for presidents but for the

first spouses they're not running for anything unless you're hillary clinton. >> modern first spouse. things are different over the past two or three presidencys from the historical perspective of a first lady. she's swomeone who has a chance to make a difference. >> she's clear she's not a political candidate like hillary clinton thought she might be but not going to be quiet like laura bush was. she has a lot to offer and talk about. >> she's also very young, you know, she still has a lot to do and next chapters in her life. >> as are you, anna navarro in miami, happy new year to you and hillary. the senate passing the bill to fend off the fiscal cliff. will the house follow suit? we'll ask sheila bair if it's the right deal for the country and secretary of state hillary clinton is hospitalized with a blood clot near her brain.

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year and a new agreement on the fiscal cliff. >> the bill as amended is passed. >> just hours ago the senate reaches a deal to avoid major tax hikes and spending cuts after some serious back and forth on capitol hill. >> i'm interested in getting a result here. >> i'm disappointed that we weren't able to make the grand bargain as we tried to do for so

long but we tried. >> no deal is better than a bad deal and this looks like a very bad deal. >> with the deal now headed to the house floor for a vote, will it survive? this morning, what's in this agreement and what it means for you and your taxes. happy new year, i'm john berman. soledad o'brien is off today. >> good morning i'm christine romans. >> and i'm ali velshi. it is tuesday, january 1st, a special fiscal cliff edition of "starting point" begins right now. our starting point in the special fiscal cliff edition of "starting point" is breaking news, a fiscal cliff deal struck in the senate overnight. now our paycheck and the u.s. economy are in the hands of the house of representatives. this is the latest, a bill crafted by vice president joe biden and minority leader mitch

mcconnell passed 89-6 margin just after 2:00 in the morning. the republican controlled house has agreed to consider it later in the morning but it is anyone's guess how that will go. if the house votes yes the measure would generate about $600 billion in new revenues over the next ten years. that is a big if, if you listen to what republican congressman phil gingrey said this morning. >> reporter: at one point the live and divide another day you have to dig in your heels and say by golly i'm going to die over this today because it's important to the people of my district and this country. >> are there enough votes in the house to pass this? it will take a combination of democratic and republican votes. if the senate measure does get through the house here is what the plan means. bush era tax cuts would stay in place for individuals earning less than $400,000 and couples earning $45,000. unemployment benefits for 2

million americans would be extended for a year and the alternative minute tax would be permanently adjusted for inflation, but when it comes to spending cuts, lawmakers deferred for two more months, kicking the can down the road as they say, so we can expect more finger pointing, more fighting in 2013. happy new year, everyone. white house correspondent bre a breanianna keilar joins us live from washington. she'll be watching over the next few months and more importantly watching today what is happening. this is not over yet. >> no, and happy new year to you, john, as well. it looks like it's going to go one or two directions, it starts with house speaker john boehner meeting with his republican members and see about what they think of the deal struck in the senate. if there is enough support among republicans and there may be some more than say we would have seen for the cutoff being $1 million that failed because the tax hikes have gone into effect and they're just voting for tax cuts.

if there is enough support he could take up the senate measure put it on the floor and pass it, we would expect with democratic and republican support or house republicans may say this isn't enough to our liking, we want to change some things and they could propose to amend some things and succeed to do so and send it back over to the senate. >> if it is amended, then it gets messy, bree jai brianna, c? >> it depends. if something is fundamentally changed it could put at risk the agreement in the senate. if it's just a little tweak or something to make house republicans feel like they got a little bit better of a deal, then it might be something that the senate could swallow. that would depend and this is what i think we'll be seeing today, where are house republicans or where are the majority of house republicans or a big chunk of house republicans, are they okay with this, what kind of changes do they want. >> we'll be watching that as

speaker boehner begins to talk to his republican caucus before noon today and of course stay with cnn all day, we'll keep you up to date on the latest negotiations and deal-making. >> let's go capitol hill, jonathan allen, senior congressional correspondent for politico. jonathan it doesn't need all republicans or democrats to get the deal done. it requires john boehner to take this vote to the floor, he'll get some pressure from the conservative side of his caucus not to do that. any chance the house scuttles this without even talking about it? >> the message that speaker boehner has put out is that it will come to a vote, whether it's that bill the senate passed or perhaps some slightly amended version that could be sent back to the senate. he is not giving the option of doing nothing to his conference so you've heard from phil gingrey of georgia on cnn, tim hillscamp of kansas. there are some guys who don't

like the deal and will vote against them but the odds of them standing in the way of an ultimate deal are very small. >> we talked about this an hour ago, the idea of not voting for it versus actively campaigning for it, they might not vote for it so they can say to their constituents i didn't support this but it's not the same as getting a movement against it. >> that's exactly right. i think if they tried to they would be unsuccessful and in terms of those voting no, marco rubio of florida and rand paul of kentucky, among those who voted no and two of the others, the iowa senators harkin and grassley from that first in the nation caucus state. >> interesting. >> at least marco rubio and rand paul looking at what those guys are doing.

>> in the house you'll see paul ryan voting against this. >> i haven't talked to congressman ryan and i'm not necessarily sure how he's going to vote. i haven't seen anything from him on this. i wouldn't be surprised either way he voted on it. there's political advantage in voting no but he's also been somebody who has been looked at as a leader in the house of representatives, a guy who will take tough votes when he needs to. one thing that's happened in the last 24 hours, everyone's gotten a day older and we are looking at being $4 trillion deeper in debt. >> right. >> as a result of this deal, it's not really a deficit reduction package. >> it is not at all. jonathan thank you for that. you bring up a good point this may become the albatross around people's neck who decide to run for the presidency so there are people who are not thinking about it as today's deal but the deal for their political future. jonathan allen at the politico, at the capitol, thank you.

>> my pleasure. >> it is slowing the national debt if you can, adding to the national debt more slowly. >> it may not be debt reduction but it may be deficit reduction. >> let's break down what's in this deal. we've been telling you about the dairy cliff. the senate deal would extend federal farm policies through september. milk prices will not double. the deal nixed a set pay raise for members of congress. the white house skirted a raise of tax rates on larger estates from 30% to 40% but republicans said it should be adjusted annually for inflation, that would increase the estate exemption to $7.5 million for individuals, $15 million for couples by the year 2020. >> we're going to stay right there on the hill where later today we expect the house to take up the senate bill or some kind of bill. lloyd doggett is a democrat from

texas, member of the budget committee, arguing to end the bush era tax cuts for the wealthy. i take that means you're likely a yes vote. >> i'd like to be but like to see the fine print in the agreement i doubt many membersed of the senate were able to study carefully at 2:00 in the morning and to evaluate the tradeoffs. i'm pleased they reached a last-minute agreement but that prese agreement instead of becoming a pumpkin at midnight became landmark legislation and we need to evaluate it closely. >> you want to evaluate and some congressmen said they're likely nos or likely yeses. all say they want to see it to make the determination. what is your guess if it is put to a vote it will likely pass. >> i think it will pass in some

form. there's still a question as to whether amendments are offered here, and of course as you've also noted big question here that having circumvented the dangers of the cliff here at new year's that we soon face the valentine day cliff and perhaps the april fool's day cliff because of all the things that are not in this agreement. >> heading into the cliffs, you named them aptly, where does your party stand, where does the white house stand in its ability to negotiate heading into the debt ceiling? there are critics showing the president is willing to come off his sticking points when push comes to shove. is he likely to cave when it comes to the debt ceiling? >> i think the president tried to provide leadership for the entire country and i applaud that. i think republicans have taken away a message in the past. i voted against the late night agreement that was reached in

2010 as being very unbalanced. republicans took away from that experience that if they are hard enough, difficult enough, extreme enough and just keep pushing that eventually they'll get major concessions from the president. they certainly did not get as many this time as they did in 2010. the president has said no negotiations over the debt ceiling but he also said that $250,000 was the level at which we would see a return to the clinton level tax levels. i believe that $450,000 is hardly middle income in america. it may be the median income of republican campaign contributors but it's certainly not the medium income of a family in central texas. now that's enshrined permanently in the law and a troubling feature. >> it is a very troubling feature that we defined the middle class starting at

$450,000 a year, that's another battle for another day. is it wise for the president to come out and say no negotiations on the debt ceiling? that's a real problem. this was a real problem as well but the debt ceiling could shut american government down. >> well, we have to stand behind the full faith and credit of the united states. also the related question of how we handle the across the board spending cuts or sequestration, it is encouraging in that regard that there was a precedent set and insistence that was not all coming out of health care research and educational opportunity that half of it was revenued for this postponement, but that looms very largely as we go forward. >> congressman, thank you very much for joining us. we appreciate your insight into this and we wish you the best of the new year. >> median income is $55,000 a year. when we talk about setting the new label of rich is $450,000

and above. >> what seems to be shaking down is this, democrats are likely to vote for the measure in near unanimity. lloyd doggett voted against the debt deal two years ago so if he voted against that and is willing to vote for this you're getting almost all the democrats so this does become an issue of how many votes the republicans will deliver and that is something to be watching very closely. >> they don't need a lot. >> if they don't get close to a majority it puts speaker boehner in a really, really tough behind. >> though it does change the dynamic when you put it forth as everybody vote up or down based on your conscience. it doesn't speak to his leadership and able to whip, if you go out there and say this is the equivalent of a free vote, this is a do what you got to do for your constituents. while the fiscal cliff was being haggled in washington, americans celebrated the arrival of the new year. some people managed to celebrate despite the fiscal cliff talks. an estimated 1 million people

from around the world jammed into new york city to ring in 2013 in traditional fashion. three hours later, 2013 arrived in seattle, and a spectacular fireworks display illuminated the sky with the space needle at the center of it all. now an army of sanitation workers do the monumental task of cleaning it up, they do it so fast you wouldn't know what happened at this point. it is 2013 and same-sex couples in maryland have something to celebrate. seven couples got hitched just after midnight at city hall in baltimore with the mayor officiating. secretary of state hillary clinton is still in the hospital being treated for a blood clot. we'll have details straight ahead. whether this gets approved will have an impact on the global economy. what to expect ahead.

we'll look at how berlin rang in -- >> i was just thinking that. >> i was up all night wondering how berlin would ring in the new year. you get to see there. we'll be back in a minute. ever have a really cool dream?

i'm having one right now. i don't want to be disturbed. and i won't. because before i went to sleep, i set this. now my iphone knows not to ring, unless it's important. 'cause disturbing this would just be .. wrong.

well it sounds a lot scarier than it is thankfully. secretary of state hillary clinton is being treated in a new york hospital for a blood clot in her head. her doctors say they're confident she will make a full recovery. cnn's jill dougherty is live at the state department. how serious is this? >> potentially, christine, it's serious. after all, it is in her head but as doctors explain, it's not in her brain, and that's the most important thing. this is a blood clot that's located in kind of an area that is between the brain and the skull. it's a vein, and between those two areas, but it's not as i said inside the brain a that is one of the reasons that they say she didn't have any neurological problems, she didn't have a stroke. things that really could be serious. that said, she is in the hospital, she's getting the

treatment which is essentially giving her blood thinners and what they're trying to do is shrink the blood clot and then when they figure out how much medication she should have, then potentially she can be released from the hospital. so it's quite a bout for her. don't forget this started way back in december, i remember being on the trip to europe with her, coming back and the next trip was canceled and that's when all of this began, getting the flu, hitting her head, having the concussion and now this. >> she has certainly been an energizer bunny over the past couple years. look, she has been around the world logging millions of miles. it's rare to see her, it's rare to see her laid up like this. >> it is. i was thinking that sitting here in the quiet state department today on a holiday and thinking you know, this was a woman who was really made of iron and she is very strong. this is extraordinary, the flu set in motion all this stuff.

that said, it is the end of her term in office, and we all know secretary clinton has said she wants to retire and we just have a few more weeks but they're all questions, remember she was going to testify on benghazi, we'll see how that goes and also her travel was on told hold. >> jill dougherty thank you so much. happy new year. >> same to you. ahead on "starting point" the whole world is watching what congress does with this new fiscal cliff deal, what it could do with global markets next, with richard quest. risks. but she's still going to give me a heart attack. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

minding your business markets are closed today waiting to see how the fiscal cliff could affect your 401(k) in the early part of the new year. of course, u.s. markets all

finished 2012 on a high note. the dow gained more than a percent yesterday to finish the year above the 1,000 mark and ali, as you know, it was a good year for the stock market >> it was a better year until the fiscal cliff messed it up. the s&p 500 which looks like people's 401(k)s was up 15%, ends up 12.5. >> one of the ten best years ever. >> i would say 12. >> it's not bad. despite europe and despite the fiscal cliff, markets did okay. markets around the world are closed for new year's day which is why congress has itself today to get this done, otherwise you'd see some reaction. >> you can only be over the cliff when the markets are closed and have a little bit of breathing space. >> markets open about 12 hours from now. cnn's richard quest joins from us london. poor richard, you've had to deal with all of the stuff in europe for the last two years and then this. you have remarkable world experience as how the worlds

investors who tend to be enforcers of politics sometimes will respond to this deal and i know you've been studying the deal all morning. >> i have, well as much as anybody can on the first day of a new year. if you look at what europe has been through in 2012, the european stability mechanism, the banking union debacle, the third bailout for greece, constantly with the fiscal comeback, you see similarities between what happened in europe and what now the united states has just been through and is going to go through in 2013. obviously the facts are different, but the substance remains the same and it is basically this, pushing as far and as hard as you can without actually tipping over the edge, until the markets eventually say oh, enough. you've got to do a deal. and ali and christine, one of the things that is quite clear is that in 2013, yes, the fiscal cliff deal has been done but these other problems of

appropriations of debt ceiling, they are the ones that are going to come back to bite again and again, and that's very similar to the sort of problems and issues they've seen in europe. >> more difficult problems. john berman is completely out of sorts that you didn't refer to him so he'd like to get in on the conversation. >> it is not the full deal, not the grand bargain that president obama and speaker boehner were talking about two months ago. richard, you've seen a lot of problems here over there. growth is not what it is in the u.s. isn't the u.s. doing some things right, right now? >> yes, it didn't go for the grinding austerity that everybody else did, because it didn't need to. it has large, liquid, deep financial markets, so yes, it is doing a lot right, but that 2%, 2.5% growth that you're talking about, john, is very wafer thin. it wouldn't take much for

investor confidence to evaporate and wouldn't take much for that growth to i wouldn't say go negative but at least to go stagnant and that's the big fear in all of this. it's not are things going well now, it's what can the u.s. economy trip over in the first three months, say for example, of 2013. i have a question for you, by the way. john, you might like to join in on this, with the s&p and i'm trying to go backwards here fast. which do you think was the best performing market globally percentage wise in 2012? >> i know, greece, greece, greece, was it greece? >> hold on, everybody gets a guess. you say greece. >> i say stop & shop. which market. >> country. >> i'm going with greece. >> i'm going to pull a richard quest here and i'm going to go with nigeria. >> ali, you're in the right line

but the wrong part of the world, venezuela's general index rose some 300%, currency risk, a political problem but eh, who's worried about that. >> greece is up 33%. >> quest, good to see you, my friend as always. we'll be talking more with richard quest, whenever you're traffic quest is must see tv right after "world business today" which is the show i do on cnn international. quest, have a fun and busy day. question an hour ago said the reason the u.s. will never be greece because greece can't issue bonds, we can, and i said the u.s. will always be able to print enough money and you know i've awakened the beasts, twitter has gone nuts with people who say i'm going to devalue the u.s. currency. i'm not saying we should but i'm saying there is a reason we will never get into a pickle greece is in. >> great segue to our next

guest, ahead on "starting point," the former head of the fdic, does she think this is a right solution or another game of kick the can and these guys really, really wanted to get into this safe. they used a blow torch and it's all on camera, that is just ahead, stay with us. you're watching "starting point." i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? is yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app.

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and it is all up to the house of representatives now to bring us back from the bottom of the fiscal cliff this morning. technically we are over the cliff this morning, still early this morning the senate passed a deal crafted by vice president biden and the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. the vote overwhelming 89-8 but because the republican controlled house left well before midnight the house has to

take up the measure later this morning. this is how the early morning accomplish amounts are summed up. >> here is how the senate plan will work if it passes the house, bush era tax cuts extended for individuals earning less than $400,000 and couples earning less than $450,000. unemployment benefits extended for a year for 2 million americans and a permanent adjustment for inflation to the alternative minimum tax. if you're wondering about spending cuts? keep wondering. lawmakers deferred and they will fight that fight over the next two months. despite the progress overnight in the senate, the house must still follow suit and based on this comment earlier this morning from tim huelskamp, it's

no doubt. >> we haven't seen anything. this deal will increase spending and it does nothing for our fundamental overspending problem and our lack of entitlement reform, three strikes looks like what is in the bill for my view and i don't know if it will pass the house. we'll find out obviously later today. >> what if the deal runs into trouble? that's possible. many house republicans have long opposed any tax increase, many signed that no tax pledge. lawmakers likely have a grace period of a couple of weeks to pass a bill to avoid the bulk of the scheduled tax increases and spending cuts without causing too much damage. the markets are closed today, the house has breathing space today. how long they drag this out, what signal that sends the stock market. >> the international market opens 12 hours from now. i was so consumed by the deal i

didn't recalculate yesterday was a strong day on the u.s. market. the s&p gained 1.7% yesterday to end the year at 13.4%, that's a kin gain. >> don't stiff the s&p. >> a lot of your 401(k)s will look like that if you're in the s&p 500. our next guest is an expert about the affect the deal would have. sheila bair, former chair of the federal deposit insurance corporation and currently chair of the systemic risk council, author of "bull by the horns" good to see you. thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> we're having a lot of activity on the conversation we're having why not dealing with the u.s. debt and deficit situation which is a serious issue still doesn't get us into a place like greece. the u.s. has certain flexibility in its financial and fiscal systems that other countries don't have.

>> right. well that's true. we can print our own money so yes if we continue this profligate spending without sufficient money to pay for it, other countries can buy our debt. third world countries try that and it usually doesn't end well but another potential glitch is congress has to keep raising the debt limit to allow that kind of mechanism to continue so even though we can print our own currency which reduces the risk of a credit default, if congress refuses to raise the debt limit that could force default and increase problems for us. >> your book is called "bull by the horns" and do you think this is our government taking the bull by the horns this deal? >> no. i wish i could say it really is kicking the can down the road when it. they did make some decisions, permanent inflation indexing of the amt which is good, that's been going on for a long time. we've got permanent extension of

the lower rates for less than 450,000, 400,000 for individuals. they made some decisions that will cost a lot of money over what would have occurred if we let all of the tax cuts expire. nothing in the way of deficit reduction and this is going to be the big question in the house, they pretty consistency said they wanted something on the spending side and not really getting it. in a couple of months they'll have another bite at the apple as the debt limit comes to a head and the delay of sequestration also comes to a head >> a big assumption this is a turning point, a beginning of a new era in washington, how do you think they should do entitlement reform and big paydown and debt and deficit reduction. >> the tax system is broken, the entitlement system is broken and we haven't even gotten to immigration reform,

infrastructure. there are so many problems that need to be addressed and we need a functioning government to deal with them and it takes so long just to get really small deals like this done. it's quite disspiriting and i think we need to find a governing coalition in the country and the president with all due respect needs to reach out to republicans instead of bashing them or heckling them. i go back to the 1980s, i worked with bob dole, ronald reagan was president. there were a lot of reagan democrats who switched over and tip o'neill knew that and that's why he worked with president reagan. the partisanship needs to stop. we need to govern not from the hard liners but the middle. >> you're referring to the news conference the president gave yesterday afternoon did raise a lot of eyebrows we talked about a lot over the day yesterday. >> it did. >> it is new year's, try to be

glass half full. this was not a giant deal, it was puny as ali velshi has been calling it all morning but on the plus side all of the measures taken and voted on, they're not counterproductive. they're the steps along the way big picture people like you wanted to see. they needed to keep going further. >> it is and we may see a series of incremental steps to get us to the point we need to be. i'm not optimistic based on past experience. we do keep kicking the can down the road and every time we do that the deficits and the debt gets bigger. i think that's the longer this goes on, the harder it is to fix. so let's take the optimistic view maybe this is the beginning of a governing coalition. vice president biden was extremely helpful. if they had done plan b, the chain cpi, if the republicans supported their speaker the gop would be in a better position

and have something on the spending side, they didn't. hopefully some lessons have been learned and we have the beginnings of a governing cowigs we so desperately need. >> we'll see that play out today, john boehner's leadership will be in tight focus. >> it will be. >> thank you for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> sheila brought up a name we haven't talked about, vice president joe biden instrumental and the smile on his face as he was walking around capitol hill, he's like i am in the middle of this, i'm in both feet, happy man. >> because last week the sniping between harry reid and mitch mcconnell was pretty dramatic and many points downright unhelpful, and to somehow see joe biden go in there and i don't know what he did. look at that smile. i don't want fairy dust he's sprinkled all over the place but it helped. >> every minute he's spent in the senate he used yesterday. >> he used all that. >> truly an interesting thing on capitol hill. a new year's eve celebration

turning deadly in sacramento, california. fight at a sports bar spilled out onto the street where thousands were gathered for a fireworks show. two people were killed and others wounded. the wilmington ten have been pardoned by the outgoing governor. they were convicted of fire bombing a grocery store in 19 2, sentences commuted in 197 and convictions overturned two years later and finally a pardon. governor perdue saying they were taint the by naked racism. police in florida on the hunt for thieves armed with blow torches and cut their way into three safes. no word on how much jewelry they managed to steal. for a sixth straight year

cnn welcomed in new year's eve with anderson cooper and kathy griffin, here are some of the highlights from last night. >> rihanna will be here. >> someone said there was going to be a twitter drinking game every time i twitter nervously. >> kelvin harris. >> who is kelvin harris. >> let me take this part, grandpa. >> schlep, ben, matt, craig. do we have the election night? a photo kathy sent me on election night and told me to show it to david gergen in the midst of our election coverage. >> i love gary tuchman. >> he's an amazing reporter. >> obviously you are angry with him to send hmm groundhog day style to -- ryan, ryan, screw

you! we do a better broadcast because we improvise and we're real! >> i was doing a live shot with paula zahn and at sri lanka and a dog humped my leg. >> nice to see you. i almost wore this, psy. >> this is not awkward at all. this is great. >> who was that? >> that was m.c. hammer. >> no, really? ♪ babe, i got you babe ♪ i got you babe >> i started sexting george stephanopolous. >> i'm not the only one you section? this person says can anderson get in a word once in a while? >> you're like ike turner. >> elizabeth was great. >> you hardly talk to me anymore, who do you come through the door at the end of the day.

>> check in with gary tuchman, please, and we wish you a very happy new year of much success and peace and happiness and love. >> that was funny. >> awesome. ahead on "starting point" we'll learn more about secretary clinton's health scare and her blood clot, what we know about her treatment and prognosis next with dr. sanjay gupta and we leave you with vegas, las vegas fireworks as sin city rings in the new year. cool stuff. you're watching "starting point." pause just before that rich sweetness touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours.

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. we are getting more information from hillary clinton's doctors concerning the blood clot that landed the secretary of state in the hospital. it is located in her head between her brain and her skull. we bring in chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. sanjay happy new year. >> to you as well. >> we're lucky you apparently have a head with a brain that you carry around your bag at all times. tell us about this blood clot, where is it and what it means? >> i want to show you on the model. we know it's on the right side but for the rurpurposes we'll s

you the right side. you make out the brain there's a blood vessel in blue right across here. those are some of the big draining veins, takes blood away from the brain. there's one here called the transverse sinus, big vein and that's where that clot is, it's related to her concussion, it was brought on by that, the doctors say that, but that particular clot is what they're trying to address now these blood thinning medications. let me make it more simple. blood goes to the brain and blood has to leave the brain. if the blood does not leave the brain, the brain will start to swell. there's no place for the blood to go and that's why it's so important to make those clots go away. >> in the exact location inside the vein also crucial because yesterday you were hearing all sorts of debate if it's in the head you can't use blood thinner. explain this. >> so when they talk about clots one of the questions you really want to know, is the clot actually on top of the brain, outside the blood vessel but on top of the brain pushing on the

brain and if that's the case if you get blood thinners you make the bleeding worse, cause more pressure and also burn a bridge in terms of doing an operation. you can't operate on someone who is on blood thinners. there's two reasons not to do it, if that clot is not actually inside the blood vessel. in this case it is inside the blood vessel so the anti-coagulants or blood thinners are the most effective and most common treatment. >> how would they watch to see if they resolved it, another mri to check for it? >> probably another mri. what we're describing is rare, this is a rare occurrence and typically doesn't happen that afternoon and it can happen with head trauma but more commonly associated with certain medications that increase your coagulation, but yes, you want to make sure that clot eventually is gone. also if you've have a headache or anything else you want to make sure they go away and they should if the clot is gone. she's had a rough couple of weeks. >> the doctors expect a full complete recovery. >> they've been very detailed,

no stroke. this can cause stroke, hasn't happened, no neurological complications as a result of this, so i've read these statements very carefully to make sure they're saying the things we need to be hearing. >> dr. sanjay gupta thank you especially after you ran your midnight road race. >> trying to stay healthy myself. happy new year. ahead on "starting point," "chopped" reality star but survived cancer five times, eric levine's incredible story, next.

for most people cancer is a scary word but one five-time cancer survivor who has achieved a professional level of notoriety refuses to be fearful. dr. sanjay gupta has his story in this week's "human factor." >> i'm an executive chef in east hanover, new jersey. >> eric levine got off to a rocky start on "chopped" but the fact he showed up to compete at all defines resilience. >> the night before i had the chemo radiation treatment, i had six to eight months to go. at that moment it was like a light bulb went off. it was wow, look at the opportunities that i have, most people would give their soul to have what i have. >> reporter: eric survived the chopping block and won $10,000 but more importantly, he's now survived cancer five times.

he was first diagnosed when he was just 29 years old. >> after i had beaten the cancer the fifth time i wanted something to remind me every day of life so the five on the outside represents the five times i've beaten cancer and the im to the first power is the indestructible master of one theory. you take responsibility for your happiness and actions and what you do in life. if you pass that on to one person every day and the stems cut it off -- >> reporter: levine shares his culinary and cancer survival theories at his restaurant as well as lending time to cancer society. >> it's about paying it forward and to a good cause, very involved with american cancer society. >> reporter: in the end he says fight the fight, do what you love every day and above all, have some fun. >> i think the fun factor is what it's about. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> we can all support the fun

factor. >> i think we can. >> our "end point" is next.

happy new year. we hope you come back tomorrow and joining us on "starting point," a big day with new york congressman israel, jen saki, president obama's and diane swonk, what all of this will mean for your paycheck and debt and deficits in this country. >> the fiscal cliff deal not done at all. stay with cnn all day for the developing news on the fiscal cliff, we have a big house vote perhaps as this bill gets to the floor. as we say good-bye to 2012 thank you to all the people behind the scenes who make "starting point" possible. happy new year, everyone. ♪

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